Improvement in many-barreled fire-arms



1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. J. CHRISTY.

Breech-loadig Firearm. No. 58,064.

Patented Sept. 18, 1866.

METERS, PHOT0-LITHOGRAPHER, wAsmNGYON, D C.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. Jr CHRISTY.

Breach-loading Fire-arm. N. 58,064.

Pzslltented Sept. 18, 1866 @Mm/M N. Pains, PxnTmLwHoGRAPNER. wAsHmGroN. D c

`ploy a safety-guard, which UNTTED STATES PATENT Enron.

WILLIAM J. CHRISTY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVE-MENT IN MANY-BARRELED FIRE-ARMS.

Spcciiication forming part of Letters Patent No.

To all whom, itmay concern:

Be it known that I. WILLIAM J. CHRISTY, of the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Repeating-Pistol; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a view of one side of the iniproved pistol. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section through the pistol. Fig. 3 is a crosssection through Fig. 1, taken at the point indicated by red line x x. Fig. 4; is an end view of the pistol. Fig. 5 is a side view of the barrels and the cooking-arm. Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the frame of the pistol and its safetyguard. Fig. 7 is a perspective view ot the hammers, hammer springs and sears, and the trigger-arm. Fio. S is a view of the trigger. Fig. 9, Sheet 2, is a side view of the pistol, with the barrels in a position for cooking the hammers. Fig. 10, Sheet 2, is a top view of Fig. 9.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in the several igures.

This invention relates to certain novel improvements on breech-loading pistols which are provided `with swinging barrels, in such manner that in exposing the breech ends of these barrels to receive the charges they will effect the cooking of the hammers.

The main object of my invention is to enishall be securely locked in place over the trigger in the act of releasing the barrels to charge them, and which shall remain in such position until it is desired to discharge the loads, thus preventing liability of accidentally discharging the pistol in handling or carrying it in the pocket, as will be hereinafter described.

Another object of my invention is to so construct a finger-trigger that two ormore hammers can be operated by it, and so that it can be adjusted to operate in succession upon the sears of the hammers in the act of moving the safety-guard in front of the trigger to allow of the release of the barrels and the cocking of said hammers, as will be hereinafter described.

Another object of my invention is to so ar- 5,06-l, dated September 18, 1366.

range the hammers and the arm upon the barrels that, in the act of raising the barrels to insert the cartridges, said arm shall act direct-ly upon and cock the hammers, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the frame of the pistol, and B are the barrels, four in number, and united together side by side, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

B represents a tenon which is formed on the lower side and near the forward ends of the barrels, which tenon is fitted between the forked portion of the frame A, and pivoted to it by means of a transverse pin, a, which passes through an oblong slot, a', through said tenon, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. This slot a' allows the barrels to receive an endvise play when released from their locking-latch. On the bottom of the barrels and at their rear end a tenen, a?, is formed, the rear end of which projects slightly beyond the rear end of these barrels, and forms a holding-down tongue, which enters beneath the breech-piece A', as shown in Fig. 2, and holds the barrels down in place. The forward end of this tenon forms a shoulder for receiving in front of it the locking-latch b, as shown in Fig. 2.

The barrels cannot be moved until thelatch b is depressed, as shown in Fig. 9, when they can slide forward, and then swing about the pivot a.

To the forward end of the tenen B an arm, C, is pivoted, which extends back into the hollow case or frame A a suitable distance, and has a T-head formed on its rear end, which will press upon the four hammers C at the same time and force these hammers back to full-cock when the barrels are moved around to the position shown in Figs. 9 and 10, Sheet 2. When the barrels are returned to a position for ring the piece, the arm C will be drawn forward out of the way and assume the position shown `in Fig. 2.

Below the breech-piece A', and a little in rear thereof, the four ham mers C are pivoted by means of a transverse pin, b2. These hammers are straight pieces of metal arranged side by side, and having their lower ends rounded and notched to receive the four sears D, which are pivoted in front of the hammers by a transverse pin,-c, as shown in Figs. 1,2, and 7, and acted upon by springs c. The hammers are each provided with a spring, C2, and when these hammers are released they strike the rear ends of pins c2, which pass loosely through the breech-piece A,and which are so arranged as to strike upon the flanges of the cartridges in the barrels, as shown in Figs. 3 and et.

The lower ends ot1 the sears D are notched,

as shown at e, Figs. 2 and 7, for the purpose ofA being acted upon successively by the vibrating trigger-arm d, so that, when the hammers are cocked and the barrels in position for ring, the several hammers can be released successively by a simple movement of the trigger, the arm d passing from 011e sear to another until ali the hammers are released.

The triggerE is of abox form, and adapted for receiving within it a lever, d', and also the vibrating arm d, which latter is acted upon by a spring, j', that forces the projecting portion of the arm d to one side of the trigger, and holds it there until pressed to the opposite side by a movement of the lever d', the lower end of which projects from the bottom of the trigger, as shown in Figs. 6 and S.

The trigger-case is pivoted to the frame A, in 'ront of the sears D, by means of a pin, g, and its lower end is pressed forward by means of a spring, g. The position of this trigger E with respect to the searsD is clearly shown in Fig. 2, in which view it will be seen that one hammer has been released from its sear, and the arm cl moved to the next scar, in a position to release its hammer when the trigger has been drawn back.

G represents a trigger-guard, which consists of a right-angular piece of metal having a curved slot, t', in its bottom portion and a ringer-piece formed on its upright portion. This guard is pivoted at h to the frame A, as

shown in Figs. 2 and 6, so that it can be.

swung from a position in front of the trigger (shown in Figs. l, 2, and 6) to the position shown in Fig. 3, in which latter position it will be checked by a pin,j. rlhe slot t', which is through the guard G, is intended for receiving the lower projecting portion of the trigger-lever d', and moving this lever so as to cause it to adjust the arm d back to the position shown in Figs. 4t, 6, and 7, so that this arm will operate upon the irst sear on the right-hand side, then on the next, and so on to the last one.

To adjust arm d as above stated, the guard G must be moved to the position shown in Fig. 6, in front of the trigger, in which, position the projection of lever d will prevent the trigger from being moved and the piece discharged. 1

The trigger can only be pressed back when the guard G is moved around, as shown in 5&06113.

Fig. 3, and this guard can only be thus moved when the barrels are locked in a position for tiring, as I will now proceed to show.

The latch b, which is used for locking the barrels in place, is acted upon by means of a slide, k, which is pressed upward by a spring, l. (See Fig. 9.) rlhe lower end of this slide k is caused to project below the bottom portion of frame A, to which the guard is pivoted, when the latch b is depressed, as shown in Fig. 9, and thus prevent the guard G from being moved from its position in front of the trigger. rlhe slide is held in said depressed position by means of a sliding1'Jieee,s, (shown in Figs. 9 and 10,) which has a hole in it for receiving a pin, s', on the bottom of the barrels. rlhis slide s is moved forward over the slide 7c in the act ot' exposing the breech ends ot the barrels, and lett in this position until the barrels are brought back against the breech-piece A', when the slide s will allow the spring l to force the slide 7l' and latch b to the positions shown in Figs. l and 2.

The operation is as follows: The guard G being in front ot' the trigger E, the latch b is depressed and the breech ends of the barrels B moved forward and upward. rlhis operation depresses the slide k and moves the slide s over it, so as to prevent the guard G from being moved out ot' place accidentally. The barrels B are moved around to the position indicated in Figs. 9 and l0, for the purpose ot causing the arm C to cock the hammers. The cartridges being inserted in their places, the barrels are then moved back to a position for tiring the piece, when the slide lo will be released and the latch b allowed to move in front of the tenon a2, and thus lock the barrels in place. Then desired, the guard G can now be moved to one side and the trigger acted upon by the finger.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The application to the trigger E ot` a vibrating arm, d, and lever d', constructed in such manner as to effect the release ofthe hammers in succession, substantially as de scribed.

2. The application ot' a guard, G, to the trigger E, in combination with a contrivance which will lock this guard in frontot' the trigger when the breech of the barrel is exposed, substantially as described.

3. ln combination with a barrel which has an end play and which is pivoted to the frame of the piece, the spring-latch b, slides 7c and s, and a trigger-guard, G, arranged so as to operate substantially as described.

W. J. CHRISTY.

Titnesses WM. DAvrs, J oi-IN Bullr'rv. 

